Amazon sets up first 'Digital Kendra' in Surat

Amazon India on Thursday launched its first ‘Digital Kendra’ in Surat, Gujarat, as part of its commitment to digitise 10 million Indian micro, small and medium enterprises by 2025. Amazon Digital Kendras are brick and mortar resource centres that will provide MSMEs information about the benefits of e-commerce and help avail third-party services such as shipping and logistics support, cataloguing assistance, digital marketing services, GST and taxation support to start their digital journey.

Speaking at the launch, Amazon India Senior VP and Country Head Amit Agarwal said e-commerce was mostly an urban phenomenon when the company had started its operations in the country in 2013.

The company has focused on enabling sellers to reach customers across India and globally, and has made significant investments in technology, logistics, delivery infrastructure, and digitising payments that collectively helped more customers and businesses to come online, Agarwal added.

In January 2020, former Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos had announced a USD 1 billion (over Rs 7,000 crore) investment in India to help bring small and medium businesses online and committed to exporting USD 10 billion worth of India-made goods by 2025. The investment, he had said, would also be utilised to digitise 10 million micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and traders across India, including manufacturers, resellers, local offline shops, and brands. As part of this effort, Amazon was to establish 100 digital centres throughout India.